Communication networks are well known in the computer communications field. By definition, a network is a group of computers and associated devices that are connected by communications facilities or links. An internetwork, in turn, is the joining of multiple computer networks, both similar and dissimilar, by means of gateways or routers, that facilitate data transfer and conversion from various networks. A well-known abbreviation for the term internetwork is “internet.” As currently understood, the capitalized term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and routers that use the Internet Protocol (“IP”), to communicate with one another. The Internet has recently seen explosive growth by virtue of its ability to link computers located throughout the world. As will be appreciated from the following description, the present invention could find use in many interactive environments; however, for purposes of discussion, the Internet is used as an exemplary interactive environment for implementing the present invention.
The Internet has quickly become a popular method of disseminating information due in large part to its ability to deliver information quickly and reliably. To send a document or other data over the Internet, a user typically uses communications software. A common way of addressing a document is through an e-mail address that provides the location of an individual with an e-mail account on a server connected to the Internet.
A drawback of using e-mail to communicate with individuals has been the lack of consideration for the amount of e-mail sent to a particular recipient. If a particular recipient met the criteria for receiving a multitude of different e-mail, there was no method of limiting the quantity of e-mail received by the recipient. This lack of “inbox control” led to both disillusionment on behalf of recipients who received too much e-mail and on behalf of campaign message senders whose e-mails were not given the desired consideration they might have received if fewer messages had been sent.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of automatically controlling the sending of campaign messages (mail) to different groups of recipients that does not require regular operator intervention, that is stable, and that supports an “inbox management” mechanism for limiting how many campaign messages are sent to a particular recipient.